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Lentil Soup + a Visit Home

I forget how old I am. I mean, like all the time. It's only when I sit down on the couch, set down my things, and let out a big sigh when I stop and think, whoa, am I an adult? Usually when my parents did that after a long day at work, I just thought that's what adults do. Now I'm finding myself coming home, throwing my keys on our little refurbished shoe cabinet*, taking off my shoes, and plopping on the couch letting out a long happy tired sigh, just like an adult does.

With the new year in mind, I'm aiming to do a little less sighing and a little more moving. I'm not one to make resolutions, partially because I feel like if it's something I want to accomplish, I should already be working toward doing it! One of the first steps toward "a little more movin" is realizing that the day isn't over just cause I'm done with work. There's a whole city out there to explore! So I'm going to my bi-weekly yoga class, running off those Christmas cookies, going out to nosh at foodie finds with friends, cooking new creations, writing more blog posts, and looking for my little niche in L.A.

Speaking of exploring, I wanted to share a few shots from one of our holiday trips back to the bay. We went to SF for the day with my parents and hit the de Young to see some Keith Haring and did an afternoon stroll along Land's End. If you haven't done either, I highly recommend it. You can get free parking in Golden Gate Park if you look and spend the whole day there at the museum, the Academy of Sciences across the way, or visit the Japanese gardens. Lands End is always a favorite. We typically start near Sutro Baths and walk northeast toward a great view of the Golden Gate. We had a blast!

I was inspired by Food52's recipe cause they're the coolest and have some darn yummy looking recipes and I love lentils and I've been staring at mine in the pantry for too long! (that might've been a run-on) So tonight, we feast on lentils! In soup form. This recipe is just perfect cause it's just the way I cook: not too fussy, whatever you're in the mood for, whatever you've got in the fridge, and always with a kick of spices and a little heat (or a lot sometimes). Plus, it gets you moving, tingles your nose with yummy smells, and fires you up to have a warming fun-filled night.

Lentil Soup to Feed Your Feet

Makes 1 big happy pot (about 6 servings)

60 min (20 prep, 40 cooking)

What you need:

1/2 onion

2 carrots

1 celery stalk

1 bell pepper (we used red)

3 cloves garlic

glug of olive oil

1/2 can tomato paste

pinch of dried herbs de provence

salt

pepper

dried chili flakes

1 can diced tomatoes

1 1/2 cups dried lentils (we used green)

1 can garbanzo beans

1 quart veggie broth

1/4 cup red wine

a few bunches beet greens

Steps:

Start by chopping your onion, carrots, celery, and bell pepper into tiny dices. This is your mirepoix, with added bell pepper for more flavor. Add this to your pot with the olive oil and sautee till the veggies are soft and cooked, then toss in the garlic at the last minute and let it get a little color too. Add the tomato paste and stir to cook it a bit.

Time for seasoning! Add the herbs de provence, salt, pepper, and a little dried chili flakes for heat. Then add the lentils, garbanzos, broth, wine, and tomatoes. Stir and cover till it comes to a boil. Give it another stir and let simmer for about 30-40 minutes until lentils are soft and tender. In the last 5 minutes before you're ready to eat, add your beet greens, or whatever greens you've got on hand for some brightness! I'd recommend kale or spinach if you've got it!

Serve with some crusty rustic bread and eat! You'll definitely feel like you're feeding your soul eating this hearty bowl. It'll inspire you to get on your feet and start "a little more movin" too.

P.S. You can mix up the seasoning if you'd like, just as they do in Food52 and create a more Indian inspired dish with less tomato-y ingredients and more things like curry, turmeric, and cumin to give it a more spiced flavor.

* A few months ago I went on a night run around our neighborhood and stumbled upon some furniture tossed on the curb. I looked through the broken fan, big kitchen counter, and grandfather clock to find a dining room buffet, looking all cute and vintage. We'd been looking for some sort of cabinet or stand to places our shoes so you don't trip over them when you walk in (sorry to all our guests from our pre-shoe cabinet days) so this old abandoned buffet turned into the perfect little fixer-upper project for us. We salvaged the chest, sanded down the old chipped wood, and gave it a healthy paint of coat. I'm pretty proud, plus our shoes are warm, my keys have a place to rest, it's a good place to feature weird odds-and-ends we find, and it gave me a good excuse to secretly cut my run short that night ;)

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About

Hi! My name is Megan. I moved to two big busy cities after living in an outdoorsy college town. I created this first as a blog about cooking food, finding local joints, climbing mountains, and staying happy and healthy. Today, it's a place where I've bring people together around cooking darn good food through Seasoned Cook workshops. My hope is that you leave my site or workshops with the belief that you #loveyourkitchen.